Chapter 2 Outcast

Chapter 2

The next morning, the kitchen was already bustling with activity when Ravyn arrived.

The conversation died the moment she appeared in the doorway, and six pairs of eyes turned toward her in surprise.

"Miss Ravyn!" Maria gasped, nearly dropping the silver tray she'd been polishing in shock, finally regaining back herself, after the initial shock. "You shouldn't be down here."

The other maids immediately began to bow their heads, greeting the biological daughter of the Hawkins family, a title that Aspen was desperate to own. But Ravyn raised her hand, stopping them mid-motion.

"Please don't," she said quietly. "There's no need for that anymore."

The women exchanged uncertain glances. Elena, the youngest maid who couldn't have been more than twenty, looked particularly confused about what was going on.

She'd probably been hired after Ravyn's imprisonment and only knew whispers about her, whispers where she was known as a disgraced daughter who had brought the Hawkins name to shame.

"But Miss," Maria said hesitantly, "you're the family's-"

"I'm nobody special," Ravyn interrupted gently shaking her head as she added. "Just another person in this house."

She moved toward the large wooden table, where she saw the meals that the maids had prepared for themselves, beside it was the elaborate expensive meals already dishes out for the family.

Without hesitation, Ravyn moved toward the simpler meals. She washed her hands at the small sink designated for staff use, aware that every eye in the kitchen was watching her movements.

She took a small bite from the rice ball and closed her eyes briefly in appreciation.

"This is delicious," she said to Rosa, the cook who had prepared it with a smile on her face. "The seasoning is perfect."

Rosa, a woman in her fifties who had worked for the Hawkins family for over two decades, stared at her with wide eyes. In all her years of service, no member of the family had ever complimented her cooking-at least, not directly to her face.

The other maids slowly began to relax, seeing that Ravyn was low to earth, and liked hanging around them instead of being up front with her family.

She was halfway through her second rice ball when the kitchen door opened and the butler, Harrison, appeared.

"Miss Ravyn," he said formally, "the family is expecting you in the dining room."

Ravyn nodded acknowledgment but made no immediate move to leave.

"Thank you, Harrison. Please let them know I'll be along shortly."

"You should go," Maria whispered urgently. "They don't like to be kept waiting."

"I'm sure they don't," Ravyn replied calmly, taking another bite of her rice ball. "But I'm not finished eating."

She could feel the staff's anxiety ratcheting higher with each minute that passed.

Elena kept glancing at the door as if expecting the family to burst through at any moment. Rosa wrung her hands nervously, torn between her genuine fondness for Ravyn and her fear of the family's displeasure.

When Thomas offered her a small bowl of the vegetable soup he'd been eating,

Ravyn accepted it with a warm smile. "What's in this? It smells wonderful."

"Just carrots, onions, and potatoes," Rosa said quickly. "Nothing fancy. I can make you something better if-"

"This is perfect," Ravyn interrupted, tasting the simple broth.

She was savoring the soup's warmth when the kitchen door flew open with enough force to rattle the hinges. The entire family stood in the doorway-Nathan in the lead, his face dark with fury, followed by Jeremy, Eleanor, Garret, and Aspen. The staff immediately scrambled to their feet, bowing deeply and backing away from the table.

Ravyn remained seated, her spoon halfway to her lips. She looked up at her family with the same calm expression she'd worn the night before, as if their obvious anger was of no consequence to her.

"What," Nathan said, his voice dangerously quiet, "do you think you're doing?"

Ravyn finished her spoonful of soup before answering. "Eating breakfast."

"In the servants' quarters," Eleanor added, her voice sharp with disapproval. "Like some common... like you don't belong to this family."

"Belonging," Ravyn said thoughtfully, setting down her spoon, "is earned, Mrs. Hawkins. Not claimed."

The formal address hit its mark again. Eleanor's face flushed red, and Garret stepped forward, his businessman's composure cracking slightly.

"You are our daughter," he said firmly. "Blood of our blood. This behavior is unacceptable and reflects poorly on all of us."

Ravyn's laugh was soft and entirely without humor. "Your daughter? Yesterday you assigned me to the basement and had me eat alone at the far end of your table like a stranger. Today you object when I choose to eat with people who actually welcome my presence?"

"How dare you speak to Father that way!" Jeremy snarled, stepping forward aggressively. "After everything this family has done for you-"

"Everything you've done for me?" Ravyn's voice remained level, but something in her tone made Jeremy halt mid-stride. "Please, Master Jeremy, enlighten me. What exactly have you done for me?"

"Enough of this nonsense," Nathan said. "You want to act like you don't belong to this family? Fine."

With one violent sweep of his arm, he sent Ravyn's bowl flying. The soup splattered across the floor, ceramic shards scattering in all directions. The staff gasped and pressed themselves further back against the walls, clearly terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

Nathan leaned down until his face was inches from Ravyn's, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carried more menace than shouting would have. "If you consider yourself no better than the help, then you can eat like them. Off the floor, like the animal you've chosen to be."

The kitchen fell deadly silent. Even Aspen, who had been watching the scene with barely concealed satisfaction, seemed shocked by her brother's cruelty. The staff looked horrified, several of the maids covering their mouths to stifle gasps of dismay.

Ravyn looked at the mess on the floor-the spilled soup, the broken ceramic, the scattered vegetables-and then up at Nathan's expectant face. She could see what he wanted: for her to break down, to cry, to beg forgiveness and promise to be the grateful, submissive daughter they expected her to be.

Instead, she stood up slowly and walked to where the largest piece of carrot had landed. Without hesitation, she knelt down and picked it up, brushing off a small piece of ceramic before taking a deliberate bite. The vegetable was still warm, still seasoned with Rosa's careful touch.

"Delicious," she said, looking up at Nathan with a serene smile. "Rosa, you really are an excellent cook."

The color drained from Nathan's face as Ravyn continued eating, picking through the soup without any look of pain and anger on her face. Her actions horrifying her family.

"This is insane," Eleanor breathed. "She's lost her mind."

"The carrots are particularly good," Ravyn continued ignoring the Hawkins family and addressing Rosa directly. "Did you grow these in the garden, Thomas?"

Thomas, looking like he wanted to disappear entirely, managed a weak nod. "Yes, Miss. From the south plot."

"I can taste the difference fresh vegetables make," Ravyn said, taking another bite. "Much better than... well, than what I've been eating."

Garret stepped forward, his face pale with what might have been shock or fury. "Ravyn, stop this immediately. You're embarrassing yourself and this family."

Ravyn looked up at him, still kneeling on the kitchen floor, and tilted her head slightly. "Am I, Mr. Hawkins? Or am I simply meeting your expectations?"

Before anyone could respond, Harrison appeared in the doorway,

"Pardon the interruption," he said smoothly, "but the car is ready for your departure to Mrs. Hawkins Senior's residence.

Nathan stepped back from Ravyn, his chest heaving with suppressed rage.

"Get cleaned up," he ordered coldly. "We leave in twenty minutes."

Ravyn rose gracefully from the floor, brushing imaginary dust from her dress. "Of course. I wouldn't want to keep Mrs. Hawkins Senior waiting."

As the family filed out of the kitchen, Aspen lingered for a moment. Her green eyes met Ravyn's with unmistakable malice, and her perfect lips curved in a smile that held no warmth.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked softly, her voice pitched too low for the remaining staff to hear clearly.

"Immensely," Ravyn replied with equal quiet. "Are you?"